The background description provided herein is for the purpose of generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Work of the presently named inventors, to the extent it may be described in this background section, as well as aspects of the description that may not otherwise qualify as prior art at the time of filing, are neither expressly nor impliedly admitted as prior art against the present technology.
Child passenger safety laws and restraint requirements may vary in different jurisdictions based on age, weight, and height. Conventional infant seats are frequently at least partially immobilized, relative to an integrated, adult accommodating seat of a the vehicle, by extending a seat belt of the vehicle through at least a portion of the infant seat and/or interconnecting one or more support straps of the infant seat with a frame of the adult accommodating seat, or other structure of the vehicle.
Rearward facing seating is a primary carrying mode for infants and, to a lesser degree, toddlers riding in vehicles. Rearward facing seating allows for the distribution of inertia forces, acting on a child during a frontal impact, over a larger area against the seat back, as opposed to concentrating the force through seatbelts. Although rearward facing seating is widely required by state laws and is believed to be a superior mode, it is often difficult for children at older ages to continue with this type of seating because of their height. One problem arises because the feet of tall infants and young toddlers touch the rear seat back; the child must bend his or her knees, which can be uncomfortable.
Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide a seat configuration that allows comfortable seating for tall infants and toddlers by accommodating their relatively longer leg length.